SOCIAL MEDIA BITES How Do You Tell A Stellar Story? The answer is in the question

Everyone—and everything—in the outdoor space has a rich story, from the humans who trek up mountains to the carefully crafted hiking boots that help us get to the summit. When it comes to telling a product’s story, you can and should do better than a tired old press release. These days, if you want people to buy your product, you need to make them care about and feel connected to the story behind it. Weave a narrative that goes beyond the stuff to the substance of your brand.

Vasque recently released a micro-film titled Well Hiked to coincide with the relaunch of two of its classic boot models. It’s part profile and part ode to Seattle-based cobbler Dave Page, who has been bringing worn-out hiking boots back to life for more than 40 years. In today’s disposable culture, Dave and his team remind outdoorists that your boots likely have many more miles in them–they just need a little love.

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Sure, Vasque wants to sell boots, and we see a few hero shots of the Sundowner GTX and Skywalk GTX in the first 30 seconds the video. But the storyline, the narrative, of the video isn’t about the boots themselves. It’s about what Vasque does when a customer brings in a well-worn pair of hiking boots. Vasque doesn’t sell them a new pair of boots; it sends the old boots to Dave. It’s a feel-good story.

What really stands out about this campaign is that Vasque used the video content to create even more content. Using a new social storytelling platform, Steller, Vasque gives its community a behind-the-scenes peek at Dave’s shop and the making of Well Hiked, combining still images, short video clips and the written word to, well, tell the story behind the story.

Authenticity and relatability are becoming more and more important to consumers in the outdoor industry. With Well Hiked and the Steller story, Vasque has delivered an honest, humanized campaign that says as much about the brand as it does about the new products it’s releasing. Whether it inspires you dig out your old boots and ship off them off to Dave or sends you running to the nearest retail shop to grab your first pair of Vasques—that may someday log enough miles to deserve a resole—Vasque has earned your loyalty, and that’s a success.